Tae Kwon Do Birthday Party

On May 3, 2014.  Elijah celebrated his eighth birthday with a Tae Kwon Do Birthday Party.  We had no idea what to expect, but we were far from disappointed.  Scott and I agreed that it was one of the best birthday parties we'd ever attended.  The kids had fun, it was super well run, and best of all nothing to clean up at our house before or after the party!  The party started with a silly dodge ball game and loud music while we waited for all the guests to arrive.

Once everyone arrived, Master Kim gathered the kids and we watched an amazing demonstration from the Masters.

Next, the kids participated in a mini Tae Kwon Do class complete with warm ups and smiles.  

Aunt Seana, Grammie and Paxton came to watch the fun.

One of the amazing things about the party was Keira's reaction to being on the mat.  Elijah had been working at home with her on Tae Kwon Do for months.  He led her in his own Tae Kwon Do classes at home, and she knew more Korean than I did!  She seemed interested in taking Tae Kwon Do, but she was very worried about getting on the mat.  Elijah's birthday party was the cure.  The party's festive, silly atmosphere and Mrs. Kim got Keira over the hump.  Without even being asked, Mrs. Kim helped Keira to have a good time and feel at ease by sticking close to her for most of the party.  Keira had a great time!

Keira definitely wasn't the only one having a great time.  Elijah grinned, giggled and laughed his way through the party.  One of the reasons for all the laughing was Master Kim.  Master Kim has always been an amazing master.  He is knowledgeable, calm, gentle and inspirational.  He is wonderful. Yet, before Elijah's party we had never seen his silly side.  At Elijah's party he never stopped being silly.  He was constantly doing physical comedy.  Not only did his jokes and gaffs make Eli laugh, but I think Elijah was surprised by the change in Master Kim.  The contrast between the calm, gentle, typical Master Kim and this new hilarious one made the jokes and tricks even funnier.

While Elijah was the birthday boy and got plenty of attention, baby Paxton got lots of attention too.  Scott and I both took turns holding him, and even Master Jang wanted a turn.  While in Master Jang's arms, Paxton did his first Tae Kwon Do punch!

As you can see, Elijah's party was very well documented.  Not only did we take plenty of still shots, we also got lots of video.  That was another benefit to a Tae Kwon Do Birthday Party, as parents we had no other jobs except watching, enjoying and documenting.

After the Tae Kwon Do mini class and board breaking, the party continued with the kids enjoying pizza and drinks on the mat.

After pizza, Elijah got to cut the cake with a real sword -- this was the part of the party that Elijah had been looking forward to the most.

Finally, to conclude the party, the Masters gathered the kids for a group shot.  All in all, it was a fabulous party!